title: Adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction technique for radiation dose reduction in chest CT: a pilot study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare lesion detection and image quality of chest computed tomographic (CT) images acquired at various tube current-time products (40-150 mAs) and reconstructed with adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) or filtered back projection (FBP).
  
  
  METHODS
  In this Institutional Review Board-approved HIPAA-compliant study, CT data from 23 patients (mean age, 63 years ± 7.3 [standard deviation]; 10 men, 13 women) were acquired at varying tube current-time products (40, 75, 110, and 150 mAs) on a 64-row multidetector CT scanner with 10-cm scan length. All patients gave informed consent. Data sets were reconstructed at 30%, 50%, and 70% ASIR-FBP blending. Two thoracic radiologists assessed image noise, visibility of small structures, lesion conspicuity, and diagnostic confidence. Objective noise and CT number were measured in the thoracic aorta. CT dose index volume, dose-length product, weight, and transverse diameter were recorded. Data were analyzed by using analysis of variance and the Wilcoxon signed rank test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  FBP had unacceptable noise at 40 and 75 mAs in 17 and five patients, respectively, whereas ASIR had acceptable noise at 40-150 mAs. Objective noise with 30%, 50%, and 70% ASIR blending (11.8 ± 3.8, 9.6 ± 3.1, and 7.5 ± 2.6, respectively) was lower than that with FBP (15.8 ± 4.8) (P < .0001). No lesions were missed on FBP or ASIR images. Lesion conspicuity was graded as well seen on both FBP and ASIR images (P < .05). Mild pixilated blotchy texture was noticed with 70% blended ASIR images.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Acceptable image quality can be obtained for chest CT images acquired at 40 mAs by using ASIR without any substantial artifacts affecting diagnostic confidence.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  http://radiology.rsna.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1148/radiol.11101450/-/DC1.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 25 New Chardon St, 4th Floor, 467C, Boston, MA 02114, USA. ssingh6@partners.org
authors.forename: Sarabjeet
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Mannudeep K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Kalra
authors.forename: Matthew D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Gilman
authors.forename: Jiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: Homer H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Pien
authors.forename: Subba R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Digumarthy
authors.forename: Jo-Anne O
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Shepard
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016477:Artifacts; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000379:methods*; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic / Q000379:methods*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*